Too Late
by ZheM
Summary: It's been a long time since Sasuke came back from Sound and their lives still aren't right. NaruHina, SasuSaku, mentioned SasuNaru, and future SasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

Don't ask why I keep writing this way…I'm not even sure. Sisco says I need to do some humor or if I wanna stay with the angst I need to put some horror in it. I told her I don't know how. Sad to say. Of course there are those who like the fact that my stories aren't all sunshine and roses, myself included and a special shout-out to Kemper an anonymous reviewer who likes my emo/angst…

Too Late  
00000

_ring_

_ring_

A dazed blonde head lifted off the pillow, his eyes landing on the dark haired girl beside him. "Hmm?"

_ring_

Tired blue eyes turned toward the only thing blocking some of the sound, the bedroom door, before he sighed and threw back the covers.

_ring_

A slim hand reached out for him as he started to leave the bed and pale eyes opened to stare at him questioningly.

_ring_

"It's nothing, babe, just the phone. Go back to sleep," he whispered, smoothing her hair away from her face. She smiled before closing her eyes again.

_ring_

The floor was cold beneath his feet but he'd lost count of the times the phone had rung so he tried to hurry across the room. He shut the door softly, Hinata was tired and she still had to get up in the morning.

_ring_

He was still half way across the room from the phone and he was starting to get a bad feeling about this. Who would be calling so late?

_ring_

His hand was on the receiver and he took a fortifying breath before he picked it up. "Hello," he asked, his words coming out with a breathy quality.

He shook his head derisively before clearing his throat and trying again. "Hello?"

It was a few seconds before a quiet voice came over the line, "Hello."

Naruto felt his heart speed up at the sound of that voice. His mouth went dry before he could think of what he needed to say. He swallowed twice before he found his voice again.

"Sasuke?" The silence that followed his question was all the answer he needed. He waited for a sound, anything to let him know what might be wrong. As always, the silence was too much for him, "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"How was your mission," the quiet voice asked instead, effectively changing the subject.

"It, uh, it was good. Came back in one piece, though a little worse for wear. I actually just got in a little over an hour ago. So, um, how have you been since I left," he asked. Naruto didn't know why he bothered asking, Sasuke never offered information that personal.

"How's Hinata," the soft voice asked again.

"Oh, she's great! She has to work tomorrow so I felt bad waking her up when I got in but it's been three months, I figured she'd want to be woken up," here Naruto trailed off, unsure how to continue. He knew what he wanted to say, knew he wanted to ask if Sasuke had missed him, but he couldn't bring himself to form the words. So, instead he followed the previous line of questioning.

"So how are things with Sakura?" He wasn't sure he'd even get an answer but if he did, and it was good, maybe this would all be worth it.

"She's fine," Sasuke replied, sounding as uninterested as if he'd just told Naruto the sky was blue. "She's pregnant," he finished, now sounding like he would if he had told Naruto that the sky was as blue as his eyes.

Naruto stopped breathing and sat heavily on the nearby coffee table. He suddenly found himself wishing that Sasuke had been talking about his eyes.

"Hey, well that's good news, isn't it?" He tried to sound happy but he was afraid Sasuke would hear the tears in his voice. He cleared his throat. "I'm happy for you…"

The silence that followed his admission confirmed his fears that Sasuke would know he wasn't really happy.

"So what about missions and stuff? With a baby on the way you'll need plenty of money," he held the phone between his shoulder and head as his eyes fell on the silver band wrapped around the third finger on his left hand. Naruto suppressed a sigh as he twisted it around on his finger.

There was a soft sigh on the other end of the line and Naruto had a feeling he was about to learn the reason for Sasuke's call. It was another few seconds before Sasuke sighed again. The sinking feeling in the pit of Naruto's stomach was back.

"Sasuke, are you crying," Naruto asked, holding his breath, trying to listen carefully, before the sound came again. "Sasuke, baby, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He could hear the urgency creeping into his voice and took a long slow breath. Hinata wouldn't be happy to wake up to him on the phone with Sasuke. He wasn't entirely sure why she was so threatened by Sasuke; no one even knew that they had ever been together, but every time he was around the Uchiha, his sweet girl turned into the hard woman her father wanted her to be. Maybe if she'd married Sasuke instead of him she would be the head of the Hyuuga clan instead of Hanabi.

"Sasuke, you have to tell me what's wrong, or else I can't help," Naruto pleaded, his voice sounding strained even in his own ears.

"I dreamt about you," was what Sasuke finally uttered and it made Naruto grin.

"Really," he asked, sounding more excited than he meant to. Sasuke sighed again.

"We had a family."

"Well, that's not surprising. You're going to have one again soon," Naruto replied, unsure why the dream had bothered Sasuke so much.

"No, "we", me and you. We had a family. And we were happy."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat again. "Happy," he croaked. "We were happy once," he whispered scornfully. Silence followed and he laughed lightly. "You know, it's funny that you called. I was dreaming about you too. Only we weren't happy. Well, I wasn't. I had a hand shoved through my chest." He laughed again, only this time it wasn't really funny.

"Naruto…" Sasuke's voiced held a small note of warning and maybe a little shame. It had been a long time since Naruto had heard his name from Sasuke's lips. He loved it.

"Does, does Sakura know you're talking to me? Will she be mad?" Naruto was always good at diversions, especially when it was really important, like now. This was not a conversation they needed to be having now. It was one they usually avoided at all costs, so it surprised him that Sasuke had brought it up.

"No, I, uh, I waited till she went to sleep. She doesn't know I'm talking to you."

Naruto laughed again. "Figures. What did I do to get on Sakura's shit list? Shit," he sighed, looking out the window at the starless sky. "Have you told her anything?"

"Of course not," Sasuke defended, sounding mildly insulted. "I'm not an idiot, dobe."

"Funny," growled Naruto. "So what's the problem? You need to go back to sleep and I have a mission report to do tomorrow, so if that's it…" He felt bad being so abrupt with Sasuke but if they went on for much longer they would dissolve into "what ifs" and "I wish". It was the reason they'd stopped drinking together and Naruto couldn't stand going back to bed with Hinata after playing the "if only" game with Sasuke.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Okay?"

"Naruto, I, uh…"

"I know," he answered, lips stretching into what would have been a familiar grin but there was no one there to see it.

"Me too."

00000

_sigh_ That was so sad…to me anyway. Does everyone know what was left unsaid? Most likely, eh?? I almost feel sorry for them, well I do. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Haha, another chapter!! This took forever to write and I'm not sure I love all of it. Tell me what you think.

**Chapter 2  
----**

_ring_

_ring_

"Moshi-moshi," the pale girl asked as she pressed the receiver to her ear.

"Oh, yes, is, uh, is Naruto home," a feminine voice asked cautiously and Hinata felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She took a calming breath.

"No, he's away on a mission. Is there something I can help you with," she asked carefully.

"Oh, no, that's okay. I'll try again in a few days. Thanks," the girl chirped happily before hanging up.

Hinata closed her eyes and sighed before she returned the phone to its cradle. These mysterious phone calls were starting to get to her. It had only been a few days since the late night phone call that had left Naruto feeling distant until he went away on another mission the day after. Hinata didn't know what it meant but when he came back to bed, he'd turned his back to her and pretended to go back to sleep.

She'd lain awake for an hour watching his chakra patterns spike. The next day he stayed in bed until she left for work and then when she came home he was in the yard target practicing. She'd made ramen but he had refused, claiming he wasn't hungry. There was something wrong. And then he went on another mission.

Now this weird phone call, she didn't know if she should bring it up when Naruto came home or just let it be.

At least for now Hinata would have to put it out of her mind. She was due for her shift at the hospital within the hour.

Hinata was never late for work, it would be unfitting for a Hyuuga to be anything less than punctual, but she was an Uzumaki now, and she really wished she hadn't come to work today.

There was blood everywhere and she wasn't even to the worst of the injuries yet. He was dying and there was nothing she could do. She bowed her head in defeat as the man took his last breath and was gone.

There was no moment of rest and reflection as she continued on to the next injured ninja. And then she froze. Hinata couldn't believe her eyes as she took in the messy blonde hair streaked with blood and the pained blue eyes. There was a long gash starting at the corner of his left eye that ran all the way down to his jaw, he was lucky he hadn't lost his eye, and there was blood running down his throat. "Naruto?"

His eyes met hers and he tried to smile. "Hey, babe, I didn't know you were working today," he grimaced and clutched at his ribs. "Mission went bad."

Hinata smiled and carefully touched the cut on his face. She could feel her chakra seeping into him before his hand came up to stop her.

"Leave it," he whispered. "I earned it."

"Can I at least heal it to a scar," she asked laughing a little.

"Well, okay," he smiled. Her hands were gentle when she touched his face again and he felt the warm stirring of her chakra as it began to heal him. "Don't forget to leave the scar."

"Where else are you hurt? Your ribs," she asked, bringing her hands down to his chest. Hinata felt carefully for any breaks and winced when Naruto hissed as she applied pressure to a particularly tender spot. "Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't the Kyuubi heal you?"

"Oh, that… Well, this is my punishment."

"What do you mean? Punishment for what," she asked hesitantly.

"I refused to use his chakra and nearly got us all killed. He's making a point," he paused and held his ribs, "and a damn good one at that."

She smiled and brushed the hair away from his face. "Why did you refuse?"

"I've been relying too much on him. I'm a ninja, not a monster."

"Shh, we know you're not a monster. We know you," she smiled down at him.

"We?"

"Me and all the others. Me and…" she blushed and looked away.

His eyes focused questioningly on her face, trying to see what she wasn't saying. // Hey, fox, what's going on// -_Can't you smell it, boy? Can't you smell the change in her_?-

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to pinpoint what the fox was hinting at.

Hinata gasped as he leaned into her. She could feel small puffs of air on her skin as he sniffed at her. Her blush deepened as he began sniffing closer to her stomach.

"Na-Naruto, what are you doing," she managed to squeak out before he pulled away and looked into her eyes again. "What is it?"

"I'm trying to sense what Kyuubi knows, but I'm not sure. He says there's something different, but I can't tell what." He looked at her closely, "is something wrong?"

"Anou, not really. I'm fine."

Naruto frowned and looked down. // Tell me. // -_What do you think, kit?-_ // Uh, she's not sick…She would have said something or she wouldn't be at work. // -_Yes?-_ // She freaked out a bit when I was near her stomach… And she said "we"…// -_Yes?-_ // Does she have multiple personalities// -_face-plants-_ Naruto blinked in surprise before looking at Hinata. "He won't tell me…" He told her, leaving out Kyuubi's shock at his own stupidity. She didn't need to know about that.

"Well, you see… I'm, uh, that is, I'm pregnant, Naruto," she whispered, voice coming out much softer than she's meant for it to.

"Sugoi!! That's great!! Who's the father," he asked, temporarily forgetting that she was his wife. -_Stupid kit-_ // Huh// -_Think about it, boy.-_ // Oh, yeah, What?!? How did this happen// -_Well…-_

"Well, Naruto-kun, it's yours…"

// Wait, don't say it, I know how this happened, but How// -_snort-_

"I know this is a shock, I was surprised too…"

// What will Sasuke say// -_You're thinking about him now? She just said she's having our kits and you're thinking about HIM?!? What's wrong with you- _//Uh, hehe, nothing??//

"Eh, sorry about that, momentary lapse in sanity, you just surprised me," Naruto finally amended. "Have you told anyone else?"

"Oh, no, I wanted you to be the first to know and I wasn't sure how to tell you," she looked down, face reddening in shame.

He brought his hand up to rest on her arm. "But, Hinata, baby, it's a good surprise. How long have you known?" He could feel his chest tighten when she looked even farther away from him. "How long?"

"A few weeks," her voice faltered when he looked at her sharply. "I mean I've suspected for a few weeks but I only found out for sure a few days ago."

// Weeks, she's known for weeks. Why didn't she say anything? Why wouldn't she tell me? Why would it be hard for her to share this with me? Kyuubi, have I been neglecting her// -_You might say that. These last few days have been bad for you and her. Because of Sasuke_.-

"I'm sorry, Hinata, I haven't been good to you, have I?"

"Oh, Naruto-kun, it's not your fault. You've just been really stressed these last few weeks," she smiled trying to placate him.

Naruto mentally grimaced. // Hinata, she's always so forgiving. I think I hate that about her. // -_You're one to talk, kit. You nearly died because of Sasuke and he's still all you care about.- _// Quiet you//

"I'm sorry. It'll be better from now on," he looked away, embarrassed that he was thinking about Sasuke again. "Can you heal my ribs some more? He thinks it's funny to make me wait."

Her hands were warm through the ripped cloth of his shirt and he frowned at the feeling of his bones mending. After she'd finished he smiled in gratitude before she moved onto the next person.

// Can you tell if Sasuke is near// Kyuubi growled in annoyance. -_Yes, I can…- _Naruto growled when he didn't continue. // So is he// -_…Yes.- _// Where// -_Find him yourself.-_

Naruto pushed him to the back of his mind and sat up carefully. There was only a dull ache in his ribs to remind him of how close he'd come to not being here. He stood slowly, testing his weight on his legs before he walked out of the room.

He didn't know where to even begin looking, but Kyuubi had said that Sasuke was near. It just depended on how much he trusted his nose. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to catch the familiar scent. There were several that he knew but so far nothing of Sasuke. A passing smell caught his attention.

"Hey, Shikamaru, have you seen Sasuke in here?" His eyebrows rose in anticipation. The other frowned before pointing at the elevator.

"Third floor," his bored monotone supplied.

"Hey, thanks man," Naruto smiled and headed in the direction he'd been given. "Third floor…" something in his head clicked and he turned to look for Shikamaru. "But that's… maternity."

_ding_

He looked up hesitantly as the doors opened, half afraid he'd find Sasuke waiting on the other side. It was clear though and he took a moment to thank God before he realized that he was still trying to find Sasuke. "Maybe it would have been better if he had been waiting for the elevator..."

Naruto stepped out of the elevator slowly; he really wasn't looking forward to finding Sasuke here. Of all the places for him to be when Naruto found out that his own wife was pregnant too, maybe it was a conspiracy. He doubted it; maybe it was cruel prank being played on him by fate. No, a cruel prank would be waking up in the morning and finding out the last two years had only been a painful dream.

He closed his eyes and tried scenting for Sasuke again. There was nothing yet and he was beginning to get frustrated. How far could Sasuke have gone, and how long ago could it have been for Naruto to not even smell him. // Come on, help me out. This is important. // _-And it wasn't when I was trying to keep us from dying?-_ // Okay, you have a point. // Naruto conceded. // It won't happen again. Now will you help me// He felt the other sigh and had to resist the urge to do so himself. // So// -_Fine,-_ he growled. // Where is he// _-Three doors down, he's with the pink haired one.-_

Naruto groaned in disappointment and then mentally chided himself; why else would his ex-lover be in the maternity ward? It certainly wasn't out of love for babies. // So how do we get him away from her? Even for a minute// _Well, I always liked the direct approach…_ // Direct, huh// He thought for a moment, trying to imagine the best way to do this without getting beat to death with chopsticks. -_Play dumb…-_ // Ok…I can do that!! Can't I// -_You do it everyday…-_ // God, you're an asshole// -_snort-_

// Okay, natural. Just act natural. // He walked toward the door slowly, looking for any irregularities. Anyone who saw him probably thought he was insane. The door was open he realized as he noted the light spilling out of the room. That would make things easier for him.

Naruto tried to smile like he would normally and grimaced as it strained his newly healed cheek. // Figures. // He tried stretching those muscles really quick before smiling again. It was getting easier and the pain it caused was negligible.

He took a deep breath to brace himself before he burst into the room with a wide grin on his face. "Sakura-chan, I didn't know you were pregnant, too! I was just in here after my mission and someone said you were here and that you were pregnant, too!! It must be that time of the year, eh, Sasuke?"

Once she got over the shock of his sudden appearance and rambling, Sakura realized what he had said. "What do you mean 'pregnant, too,'" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Oh, that, well," he trailed off, eyes turning to look directly at Sasuke. "Hinata's pregnant." He held Sasuke's steady gaze until the Uchiha finally looked away, and then he turned back to the pink-haired girl sitting on the bed. "So I guess everyone has happy news today."

"What happened to your face," Sasuke finally spoke up and Naruto looked down, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"That's...not so happy news," he smiled at them again. "But I'm fine, so what does it matter?"

"Why didn't they heal it," Sakura asked, gently climbing out of bed to take a closer look. She brought a chakra warm hand up to his face and Naruto jerked away. "What? It doesn't take that much chakra for something so small. I can fix it."

Naruto looked away and narrowed his eyes a bit. Sasuke was surprised to see him flexing his jaw in obvious restraint. Finally, Naruto turned back to her and gently shook his head. "I earned this, Sakura, we barely made it back and I was one of the lucky ones. This scar is mine. It's reminder of a lesson I needed to learn."

"Did you learn it," Sasuke asked again, surprising Sakura with his candor. She looked at him carefully but he wasn't paying any attention to her, like always. She'd thought that this pregnancy would change things between them but apparently it hadn't yet.

"I always learn my lesson," he replied, looking pointedly at Sasuke. The other nodded before turning to Sakura.

"Are you okay to get home? Naruto and I are gonna go get a drink," he looked over at Naruto. "To celebrate."

She looked between them, trying to read their expressions, but there was no real indication to let her know what they were feeling. She nodded. "Go on ahead, I'm gonna see if they need any help with bandages."

Sasuke nodded, eyes never leaving Naruto's face, and turned away, leaving her there alone.

She sat there after they'd gone and cried. Sakura couldn't understand the strange feeling she had but it wasn't good. She felt like she had just lost him and then she felt like she had never really had him.

----

Reviews?? lol


	3. Chapter 3

Here it is, the first lemon I've written in at least 3 years…Be gentle, but please let me know what you think, especially if you think I should never write sex again. lol

Chapter Three  
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"Sa-Sasuke, wh-what are you doing," Naruto managed to gasp out between kisses. Rough stones were pressing into his back and he had a feeling the building's owner wouldn't appreciate two amorous guys scaring away customers. He wasn't really sure what was going on exactly. He knew they hadn't had that much to drink, but even still, they'd never go this far when they went out drinking. Usually they'd commiserate about what used to be and then go home to their wives, but he had a feeling that tonight there'd be none of that. Okay, it was more than a feeling, it was more like a firm grip, and it felt oddly like Sasuke's hand. It felt like Sasuke's hand in a place it hadn't been in a long time.

Naruto looked down to see that the feeling hadn't been a figment of his imagination; Sasuke did have his hand down Naruto's pants. He gasped when Sasuke began to stroke him. "Sasuke, what are you doing?!? You're married, _I'm_ married. We're having kids. Stop!"

His pants were around his knees and his boxers followed soon after. Sasuke's hot breath passed over his erection and Naruto couldn't think of another reason to object. Sasuke's mouth was hot on his skin and he groaned as Sasuke managed to take almost all of him into his mouth. "Wow, you still have it. Even after all this time," he smiled when Sasuke glared up at him.

He thrust experimentally into Sasuke's mouth and was rewarded by a slight gasp as he nudged the back of Sasuke's throat. Naruto sighed as Sasuke started sucking harder. He threaded his fingers through the other's hair, occasionally petting him in encouragement. It had been so long, Naruto had forgotten how good this felt. He could feel his balls starting to tighten and shifted as he realized what that meant. He had to stop Sasuke. A little cock sucking between friends was one thing, but for him to actually come, he had to stop.

"Sasuke, stop! You gotta stop," he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Stop," Naruto cried, shoving the other boy away. He pulled his pants back up and bent to check on the Uchiha. "I'm sorry I pushed you," he whispered, laying a careful hand on the other's shoulder.

Sasuke shrugged him off angrily and Naruto smiled ruefully. "That's so like you. I don't give you what you want and you get mad and pout. This is why we don't drink together anymore. It's not like the old days. We're both married now, we can't just find a dark alley and fuck like we're the only ones involved," he looked away from Sasuke as he rebuttoned his pants. "This wasn't supposed to happen," he stood up and turned away. "I have to go."

Maybe if he had turned around again he would have seen the dark gleam in the other boy's eyes but he was the master of obliviousness. The next thing Naruto knew he was shoved up against the wall again with the brunette pressed against his back. He groaned loudly as his head connected with the wall and blinked dazedly. Naruto felt the rise of chakra behind him and a few seconds later he was in a bedroom, looking around trying to figure out where he was.

He still had no idea.

"Where are we," Naruto asked hesitantly. He'd never seen this place before and it was making him feel a little edgy.

"The Uchiha compound," Sasuke answered, pulling Naruto down to sit beside him on the bed. "This was Itachi's room." He smiled and Naruto swallowed loudly.

He looked away from Sasuke's eyes. "Why are we here," Naruto asked carefully, not sure he wanted an answer.

Sasuke pushed him back on the bed and followed the movement with his own body. "Because I'm going to fuck you on this bed," he promised, punctuating his sentence with a hard thrust against Naruto's thigh.

Naruto swallowed again and looked carefully at Sasuke's throat. "Ah, Sasuke, you're hard," he blushed lightly as Sasuke smirked.

"I noticed," he replied, smirk widening into what could almost be called a grin as he thrust against Naruto again.

"Haha, yeah," Naruto managed to squeak before Sasuke reached for his pants. "Sasuke, wait," he reached down to hold onto his pants but they were already gone, taking his underwear with them. Cold air rushed over his bared skin and he shivered, drawing Sasuke's attention up to his face.

Sasuke pressed close to Naruto, his face buried in the hollow of Naruto's neck and his clothed erection rubbing against the other's uncovered arousal. He took a deep breath and ground himself against Naruto again.

Rough cloth rubbed over his erection again and again, and Naruto found himself wishing Sasuke would just get on with it or get off of him.

In all the time that Sasuke and Naruto had been together, Sasuke had learned that the direct route was the best. So when he stuck a few fingers in his mouth to wet them, the comically wide-eyed look that was thrown at him didn't even have an effect. He always enjoyed this part. He liked the look on Naruto's face when he inserted first one finger and then another. He pressed his fingers into the blonde and began stretching him.

"Ah, ah, Sasuke. That feels good," Naruto groaned as Sasuke's fingers found that spot inside of him and began flicking his fingers over it. "Oh, yes…ah." Sasuke's smile widened. He licked the shell of Naruto's ear and then blew warm air across it.

"Are you sure, Naruto? You know we shouldn't be doing this," he smirked. "We're married after all." He drew his fingers out slowly before pressing them in again. "Should I stop?" He rubbed over the spot inside of Naruto and ground down against him again. "Want me to stop," he asked as he withdrew his fingers again, this time raising himself off of Naruto enough for the other boy to feel the loss of his body heat.

A look of indecision crossed Naruto's face before it became clouded with lust again. He grinned slowly as his hand descended down between their bodies. He took a firm grip on Sasuke's covered erection. "If you stop now, I'll rip off your dick. Fuck being married, you're going to finish what you started or I will." If it was possible, the wicked grin that came over Sasuke's face turned him on even more.

Naruto felt a brief flash of hesitation before he was tugging at the clasp of Sasuke's pants. "Take these off or I'll rip them," he demanded, trying to pull them off from the side.

Sasuke grunted as Naruto's pulling caused his pants to tighten and rub harder against his erection. He took a deep breath before catching Naruto's hand in his own. "You have to stop that if you want me to finish what we started." He looked meaningfully down at where his cock was pushing at his pants and then back into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry," he smiled; running a hand along Sasuke's straining hard-on. "If you weren't wearing these it wouldn't have been a problem," he whispered, yanking playfully on the waistband of the other boy's pants.

Sasuke sighed before standing carefully. He tugged his shirt up and over his head before tossing it haphazardly across the room. Naruto watched it sail into the wall before his eyes were drawn back to Sasuke by the sound of him unzipping his pants. He watched raptly as Sasuke shucked off his pants and sent them to follow his shirt.

He smirked at having Naruto's undivided attention and decided to prolong things by gesturing for Naruto to come to him. The blonde stood slowly; there wasn't much room between Sasuke and the bed so he ended up rubbing along the length of Sasuke's body. He pressed against the brunette, hands roaming over the expanse of smooth skin as though he had never seen it before.

Naruto tried to remember all the places Sasuke loved to be touched and some of the ones he didn't. His curse seal was a big no-no so Naruto strayed far from it. His fingers traced the lines of hard muscle across Sasuke's chest before he ended up at the other's nipples. He pulled carefully on Sasuke's left nipple and was rewarded with a deep groan. He smiled at the memory of doing this before and catalogued this new experience. He didn't know when he'd have the occasion to do this again and Naruto planned to savor it.

His lips found Sasuke's other nipple and he bit down gently. Sasuke's hands were in his hair almost instantly, pulling Naruto's mouth closer to his body. Naruto knew what he wanted and he knew that if he gave it to him they'd both be naked a lot faster. He smiled around the nipple in his mouth and bit down harder as his right hand pinched Sasuke's left nipple tightly.

Sasuke growled low in his throat before he pulled Naruto's mouth off of his body and claimed it as his own. His tongue thrust harshly into Naruto's and Sasuke traced every inch of him before he let the other go.

"I thought that might get you," the blonde smirked before tweaking the pale nipple again.

Sasuke groaned before looking into Naruto's eye. He ran a gentle hand down the other's side catching the end of Naruto's shirt. He rubbed soothing circles across the blonde's lower back. He kissed Naruto softly before yanking his shirt over his head. Naruto laughed and pressed against him again.

Naruto ground against him for a second before pulling back and catching Sasuke's eyes. There was a sly look on his face and Sasuke felt anxiety crawl across his skin. He took a step away and Naruto reached for his underwear. In one swift motion Sasuke was as naked as Naruto was and he had no idea if he would ever see that pair of boxers again.

He glared at Naruto as he tossed the shreds of his boxers over his shoulder. "How am I supposed to explain going home with no underwear on," he questioned, running a smooth palm down Naruto's stomach. He felt Naruto stiffen at his words but Sasuke continued tracing the edges of the curse seal. It had always fascinated him and touching it seemed to relax Naruto so he let his fingers splay over it.

"Tell her," he sighed and looked away. "Tell her that we got really drunk and you were hot, so you did a strip show for the whole bar and by the time I got you calmed down and tried to find your clothes some pervert had already made off with them." He smirked, eyes carefully trained on the floor beside them.

"So I'm supposed to tell her that you pocketed them before I could get them back on?" Naruto snorted and looked at him.

"Yeah…" he blushed and leaned his forehead against Sasuke's cheek. "So are we gonna do this or what?"

"This and a little bit of what," Sasuke replied easily, smoothing his hands over Naruto's shoulders. "Lay down," he commanded softly.

Naruto's eyes widened a bit but he nodded and sat carefully on the edge of the bed. He looked anxiously up at Sasuke, steadfastly ignoring the hard cock in front of his face.

Sasuke smiled as he settled on his knees between Naruto's thighs. His hands were strong as they slid up the inside of Naruto's legs and he looked carefully at Naruto's face as his hands stroked the other's penis back into hardness. He hadn't expected their conversation to be so 'deflating'.

He licked a careful trail down the blonde's chest and bit his left nipple, effortlessly trying to get a little payback, before he moved onto bigger and better things. Naruto giggled as Sasuke's tongue found the top of the seal and gave it a fast lick. His lips were soft against Naruto's skin with a strong swipe of his tongue every now and then.

He didn't want to rush into it because it had been a long time for them but it was getting hard to resist the urge to just take what he wanted from the pliant blonde. He was getting closer to the end of the seal and Naruto's hardness was making itself known against his cheek when he looked up at Naruto requesting permission to take this further.

Naruto smiled, catching Sasuke's left hand and bringing three fingers to his mouth. He sucked on them until Sasuke was panting and moving restlessly against him before he released his hand and spread his legs further apart, silently offering himself to the dark haired man.

Sasuke watched in awe as Naruto scooted closer to the edge of the bed, trying to give the brunette easier access. He trailed his fingers down over the blonde's erection causing it to jump a little before Sasuke brought them across the other's tender sac. He caressed Naruto's balls for a minute before bringing his fingers down to his puckered destination.

Sasuke watched the other boy take a breath and close his eyes in anticipation. He teased the blonde's entrance for a few seconds before slipping a finger inside. Sasuke kept a close eye on Naruto's facial expressions and body language, watching for any signs of discomfort. He was glad he had already stretched Naruto a little before; it would make it easier to speed things up now.

He thrust his finger inside the other boy, trying to prepare him for another. Naruto was more than ready though as he thrust back quickly. Sasuke smiled and pulled out enough to add another finger. He pressed them inside the waiting boy and watched carefully again.

He moved carefully, searching for the spot that would make Naruto forget any pain. He thrust his fingers into the blonde and prayed to find it quickly so they could move on. Sasuke's prayers were answered as Naruto arched up off the bed and reached down to clutch desperately at his shoulder. He smirked and rubbed a little harder over the blonde's prostate. Naruto's eyes shot open as he felt pressure building between his legs.

"Sasuke, get on with it or it'll end here," he rasped, indicating his weeping erection with a tilt of his head. He pulled on Sasuke's arm, trying to bring the other into more contact with his body. Sasuke resisted him though, pulling his fingers away just to add another. Naruto frowned a little at the new invasion and Sasuke nodded.

Sasuke's mouth closed on Naruto's erection at the same time as his three fingers found Naruto's prostate again. Naruto gasped and Sasuke paused in his ministrations long enough to make sure the boy was ok before he continued. He could feel Naruto's walls beginning to tighten around his fingers and Sasuke knew he couldn't play around much longer.

He let Naruto's erection slip from his mouth as he gave one more thrust with his fingers. Sasuke spit into his right palm and wrapped the hand around his own erection. He groaned as he stroked it, trying to make sure there were no dry spots left to catch on Naruto's delicate skin. He pulled his fingers away from Naruto and couldn't stop a smile as Naruto whimpered at the loss.

"Shh, we're almost there," he brushed sweat dampened hair off of Naruto's forehead and smiled at him as he positioned himself against Naruto's entrance. He bent down to kiss the blonde as he pressed inside. Any noise either made during their joining was lost in that kiss.

Sasuke groaned as he buried himself in the tight heat of the boy below him. He'd missed this, God, did he miss it. Naruto clenched around him and Sasuke had to force himself to stay still and not thrust into those clutching muscles. He knew that if he hurt Naruto now he'd get beaten to death by Kyuubi, but maybe the fox demon would let him finish this before killing him. He tried not to think about that, though it was a decent distraction from the movement of the blonde beneath him.

"Naruto, are you ready? I've gotta move," he whispered achingly, he didn't want to rush the experience but not doing anything was driving him crazy. He gave a minor thrust and watched the pleasure spread across the other's face. Sasuke took that as permission and thrust again. He gasped as Naruto tightened around him again. He looked down questioningly, trying to understand why the boy had stopped him.

"Wait, Sasuke, just give me a minute. It's been a long time," Naruto gasped, trying to get used to the feeling of the other boy inside of him.

Sasuke winced slightly at the reminder that they shouldn't be doing this. Naruto wasn't his anymore, and it was all because of him. He didn't have Naruto because he thought resurrecting his clan was more important than the things they shared. He pulled away a little, eyes focused somewhere inside his thoughts and Naruto gasped at the feeling.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Sasuke whimpered, trying to pull further away before Naruto's legs caught him and pulled him close again. They both inhaled sharply as they connected a little harder. "I didn't know."

Naruto frowned. "I don't understand. What are you sorry for? What didn't you know?" He tightened his legs around the Uchiha to hold him steady. Naruto tried to think of anything Sasuke could or should be sorry for but his mind came up with blanks.

Sasuke pressed his face into the crook of Naruto's shoulder. Naruto thought he felt something wet hit his shoulder but knew he must be mistaken. He shrugged a little, trying to get Sasuke to meet his gaze, but the brunette kept his face down when he finally answered. "I'm sorry I thought my clan was more important than this, than us. I didn't know that I- that I loved you."

His words came out more like a breath than an actual vocalization. If it hadn't been so close to his ear Naruto probably wouldn't have heard. As it was, he wasn't entirely sure he had heard right. Uchiha Sasuke wasn't sorry for anything and he never apologized. He didn't declare affection, let alone love, for anyone. Naruto tried to think of something meaningful to say, but he'd never been good with words. He could only think of one thing to say and he wasn't sure how Sasuke would take it…

"Fuck me now and all is forgiven."

For a minute Sasuke didn't react and Naruto started worrying if he'd killed him, and then the stoic boy laughed out loud, leaning heavily the blonde for support as he tried to breath.

"What'd I say," Naruto asked incredulously, watching the other boy shake with laughter.

"Nothing, Naruto," Sasuke smiled and then proceeded to show the other how good he was at following orders.

--

They were lying spent in each others arms listening to the other's heart beat before Sasuke spoke up again. "Naruto?"

"Mmm," the blonde grunted questioningly.

"Why didn't you tell me Hinata was pregnant before," the pale boy paused, unsure how to continue. It shocked him though when Naruto tensed up and tried to move away. "What's wrong?" Sasuke got no answer and soon he was frowning. "Fine, don't tell me."

He sat up and turned away from Naruto, eyes boring holes in the wall. Of all the things for the blonde to try to keep from him. He sighed as he felt Naruto lean against his back.

"That's not it, Sasuke," he sighed. "I just don't wanna talk about it." Sasuke turned to meet his eyes but the blue-eyed boy looked away quickly.

"You should be happy, why wouldn't you want to talk about it," the dark haired boy questioned carefully. It would have to be really bad for Naruto to want to forget it. "Is there something wrong with it?? Other than having you for a father?"

He'd expected a quick smile out of the blonde, not a soft sniffle. He quickly looked mortified and tried to comfort the blonde. "Naruto, you know I didn't mean it that way. You'll be a good father," he said trying to cover his mistake.

Naruto shook his head softly. "You're the only one that really believes that, Sasuke," he snorted ruefully and shook his head again. "The only one."

Sasuke frowned harder trying to understand what had affected his new found lover so deeply. "What do you mean? Did someone say something to you? What was it? Who said it," he asked, quickly getting defensive over his friend.

"No one, no one said anything," Naruto looked over at Sasuke, taking in his confused look but saying nothing.

"I don't understand," Sasuke admitted for the first time in his life and immediately felt like shit. "No one said anything? Does that mean that Hinata said something to you about it??"

"No," Naruto replied, shaking his head mournfully.

Sasuke sat for a moment trying to get what Naruto was saying. Hinata is pregnant, but no one's said anything bad about Naruto being the father, not even Hinata… So what was the problem? Wait, he didn't say that Hinata hadn't said anything _bad_ about him being the father. He said she didn't say anything at all. So, does that mean she didn't tell him?

"Do you mean she didn't tell you anything," he asked slowly, afraid of being right. All he got was a slow nod from the blonde and Sasuke was instantly pissed at the petite Hyuuga. "Nothing at all?" Another nod. "So how did you find out she was pregnant?"

"Kyuubi hinted," Naruto supplied, voice growing bitter. Sasuke was momentarily astounded that Naruto had actually gotten the hint but he quickly quashed the unhelpful feeling.

"How long has she been pregnant," he asked, watching Naruto closely in case of violent outbursts.

A tear slid down Naruto's cheek and he quickly wiped it away. "She said she's had a feeling for a while but she only found out for sure a few days ago…She knew and she didn't tell." Another tear fell and this time he didn't bother trying to hide it. Soon more tears were following the first two.

Sasuke bit his lip to keep from saying words his friend might not like being said about his wife. But she was his wife, how could she not trust Naruto enough to tell him she was fucking carrying his child. Sakura had told him the instant she'd found out. He couldn't imagine how Naruto must be feeling.

He hated it when he didn't know what to say, but then Sasuke knew there were no words that could make this better. He wrapped a hesitant arm around Naruto's shoulder and pulled the blonde into a slow kiss.

Naruto pulled away and looked carefully into Sasuke's dark eyes. He looked around the room, trying to memorize the feeling of importance it gave him to know that Sasuke trusted him enough to bring him here. This had been Itachi's room; that fact alone should have meant that no one would ever see the inside of it, yet here he was.

"Sasuke, tell me," he began only to stop and breath. "Tell me you don't want me. Tell me I have to go back to her and I will. Or tell me to stay," he pleaded, eyes begging Sasuke to answer him.

"Naruto…I can't…I can't ask you to stay with me," he looked away, biting his lip angrily.

He nodded stiffly, jaw set to keep him from begging Sasuke to let him stay. He stood carefully and bent to retrieve his clothes. Naruto could feel Sasuke's eyes on his back as he got dressed again and he had to bite his tongue to keep from lashing out at the pale boy. He understood why they couldn't stay together but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Naruto had his hand on the door knob when he turned to say goodbye for the last time to the man he loved. He had barely opened his mouth when a cool palm stopped him. He frowned in confusion when Sasuke pulled him close.

"Naruto…please," the brunette asked softly, warm breath ghosting over Naruto's skin, causing him to shiver. "Can I go with you?"

Naruto smiled and reached for his hand, leading Sasuke out of the room.

"Uh, Naruto??"

"Yeah," Naruto asked looking behind him curiously.

"I'm not wearing any pants…"

"Ah…problem..." Naruto released him and enjoyed the view while Sasuke slipped into his pants and shirt. He laughed when Sasuke looked mournfully at what was left of his underwear. "So what are you going to tell your wife," he asked, eyes carefully neutral as he waited for an answer.

"I don't know. What are you going to tell yours," Sasuke asked in return, a playful smile stretching across his face.

"I'm going to tell her that the man she loves is in love with another man. And then I'm going to have to do 14 missions a week to pay for child support…"

----

Eh…I'm afraid to ask…but I will anyway. What do you think??


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, I know only one person asked me to continue this but I was having way too much fun with it to stop. Let me know what you think and if you didn't review for the last chapter tell me how I did on that lemon… It's been a long time since I wrote anything sex-like and I'm afraid it might show.

Too Late Ch 4

00000

She was already asleep by the time he came home and Naruto felt a sharp pang of guilt when he realized that she had been waiting up for him. He smiled and walked toward her, carefully pulling the afghan off the back of the couch and carrying it over to tuck around her.

Naruto stepped back and frowned as he looked around the room. This was his home. He looked down at Hinata resting comfortably in her favorite chair. She was his family. Her and… He looked away, tears coming fresh to his eyes; the baby she was carrying was his too. Never in his life had he had so much and here he was, ready to give it all up for the guy who had given him up to have the same things

He tugged self-consciously at his shirt before leaving her side and heading resolutely for the shower. There was no way he was going to talk to her without getting rid of the evidence of his activities. Naruto turned the tap on as hot as it would go before undressing and throwing his ripped and bloody uniform into the trash can.

Naruto stepped into the shower and drew the door shut behind him. The water was hot on his skin and he shivered as his body tried to adjust to it. Naruto took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against the cool tile. The water felt so good as it beat down over his shoulders, he tried to focus on the feeling of it washing down his back and cascading over the rest of him. It felt like it was washing away his sins. His thoughts strayed through the events of the day and Naruto felt a crushing sense of regret for the choices he had made.

If he could go back and change things Naruto knew he would choose to use his extra chakra and save the lives that had been lost because of him. In most ways he knew it really wasn't his fault, there was always the chance of an ambush, or five, on a mission and as ninja they should have been better prepared for the things that had happened. But with so many injured warriors depending on the others for protection and a fox in his head mocking every move he made it was kinda hard to take care of them all.

Naruto knew though, he knew that with every passing day and every moment he used chakra that wasn't really his own, he was losing himself. Each time he accessed Kyuubi's chakra he lost a little part of what made him him, Uzumaki Naruto, the future Rokudaime of Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves, and he wasn't ready to give that up. There was no one he could even begin to explain it to, no one who wouldn't freak out at the very idea of him and Kyuubi becoming one. It would be bad enough when the village learned that he had fathered a child, but for him to be merging with the fox…that was why he had refused the necessary help when it was offered to him. It was better for a few to die then, than for many to die when he finally lost control.

The hot water didn't last as long as Naruto remembered it doing and he was shocked out of his thoughts by a blast of cold water. He laughed and reached down for the knobs to turn off the water. He stood still for a moment enjoying the quiet and stillness. He'd have to face the things he had done soon and Naruto wasn't looking forward to it.

Though walking around the house nude never bothered him, walking around naked and wet was something Naruto could never do. He opened the cupboard under the sink and felt around for the roughest towel he could find. He pulled out his prize and smiled as his eyes focused on the pattern. This was one that Iruka-sensei had bought when he'd found out that Naruto was pestered too badly in the stores to remember something as frivolous as towels.

// It was a long time ago. // Naruto thought sadly and briefly considered hiding them in a safe place. It was ludicrous of course, but he suddenly needed to protect the things that were precious to him. The things that were his.

That feeling should have extended to include Hinata along with his towels but sometimes… Sometimes Naruto felt unbelievably out of place, like he didn't belong anywhere near her, like she wasn't his to protect. That idea was crazy too, because she was his to protect and soon that would become even more apparent.

It was only a short walk down the hall to their bedroom but it seemed to take him forever. Naruto gripped the towel tight around his waist as he neared the door. It felt weird to know that just four days ago they had been in that room and they were happy. Now, here he was, ruining everything they had worked so hard for. Naruto stepped through the door and sighed, it still felt the same as it always had. This was still his place of comfort and solitude.

He dropped his towel in the basket by the door and went to pull a pair of lounge pants out of his drawer when something sticking out from under the bed caught his attention. Naruto stopped and looked at it curiously; usually Hinata was adamant about him not stashing dirty clothes under the bed. He stepped closer before crouching down to get a better look. He reached out for it and tugged it into view.

Naruto remembered seeing a shirt like this but couldn't for the life of him think of where or when. He knew it wasn't his and it was definitely too big for Hinata, but then whose could it be. An idea occurred to him and before Naruto could think of reasons not to do it, he had brought the garment up to his nose and taken a cautious sniff. // That smells like…// he stopped to think for a moment before realizing. // It smells like…a dog. //

He pulled the shirt away to look more closely at it. A brown, collared shirt that smelled like a dog… // Hey, fox, it's time to wake up… // He smirked a little at the grumbling in his head before sobering up at the seriousness of the situation. // I'm serious, I need you. This is important. // _Why is it only important when it's you?_ // Shut up! Smell this// _What? _

Naruto frowned as he accessed his demon chakra. He hated this part. He watched avidly as his fingernails grew sharper, this part didn't bother him so much, but when his canines lengthened and cut into his lip he growled in irritation. Definitely Naruto's least favorite part as he tasted blood but at least it was followed by his favorite part of the transformation. The whisker scars on his face widened and his pupils narrowed into slits.

He looked around the room with his new eyes before turning his gaze to the shirt in his claws. Naruto hesitated before bringing it to his nose and slowly breathing in. He had to fight the urge to sneeze as his sinuses filled with the scent of a dog.

Naruto squinted when the fox in his head snarled. // You know what it is// _Yes growl _// What is it// _You don't want to know _// Tell me. // _That whore!!_

"What," Naruto asked, astonishment creeping into his voice. "What are you talking about?"

_Think about it, kit. Why else would something like this be here? _"You mean," Naruto's eyes took on a faraway look as the pieces snapped together in his head. "Kiba? But, that's… What!?" He shook his head in bewilderment. "That means…the baby?" // Kyuubi//

_I don't think it's ours, kit…_

"But…" Naruto's eyes clouded up and he took a breath before wiping the wetness away. "But, I love her." His eyes fell on the cloth in his hands and he growled. His fingers tightened to the point where he was tearing holes in it but he couldn't bring himself to give a fuck.

"How dare he touch what's ours," he grunted, anger deepening his voice considerably. His eyes bore into the shirt like he was trying to burn it with a mere look, anything to make it go away, to make it not true. It wasn't working. And he was getting sad again.

Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes again and he sat heavily on the end of the bed. It felt like his heart was in his throat every time he had to swallow, which was more often than he liked as he tried to keep the tears at bay. Crying wouldn't do him any good now and he had to think about what to do.

Naruto looked down at where he was sitting and jumped up as though it had burned him. The bed, their bed, this had to be where…where 'it' had happened. The bed where he held her after they'd made love. The bed where she had held him after a particularly hard mission. He didn't know what to do. There was no way he could sleep in this room after finding out about them but, where could he go?

"I have nothing. I never thought that after all this time I would end up with nothing again." He cast his eyes around the room looking for something that could comfort him but everywhere he looked he saw Hinata with another man. This wasn't his home anymore, and it wasn't even because of his own actions.

At least before now he knew that it would be his fault their marriage would end and he could live with being the bastard if it meant Hinata could move on. But this…?

Naruto didn't feel so bad about what he had done now. Earlier as it was happening he knew it would change his life but Hinata had done it without worrying about a change. It was like she just did it because she could, not because it was something she had to do. And even though it wasn't something Naruto had had to do, it was still…special. And it wasn't like he could get fucking pregnant, now was it?

He didn't know what to do. He'd planned to wake up Hinata and confess but now? He just wanted to yell and scream out his frustrations at her. He wanted to hunt down Kiba and beat him like the dog that he was for what he had done to Naruto and his family. His family… what fucking family? He was alone again…

Naruto threw the shirt across the room, hoping it would relieve some of the pressure building up in his body. No such luck though. He pressed his eyes closed and placed his hands on his hips, praying he would open his eyes and find everything had returned to normal. The only thing he found when he did open them was the fact that he was still standing in the middle of the bedroom in the buff.

He groaned at his own stupidity and quickly dragged out a pair of pants to put on. Naruto didn't feel comfortable being naked in this room anymore, which was really depressing considering how much he used to like being nude in here. His thoughts traveled to a better, more obscene time before another's thought intruded. _So, kit, what are we going to do?_

"I don't know," Naruto whispered aloud, knowing Kyuubi would still hear him and no longer caring if he did wake Hinata up. It wasn't his job to worry about her anymore. The realization made him angry before he remembered what he had been thinking about in the bathroom. He'd known. Without understanding what it meant it, he'd known that she wasn't his anymore.

He left everything where it was laying when he performed a jutsu and teleported to the top of the Hokage Monument. He needed to think and the best place he knew for that was in the presence of those that had come before him. Maybe when this was all over he would build a house up here. A house away from all the things that had hurt him so badly throughout his life.

Naruto tried to think of what his true feelings might be after the events of the night. He knew now that Sasuke really did love him and he actually loved Naruto enough to be with him. That was great. That feeling made Naruto feel like he could conquer the world as long as he had Sasuke by his side. But this new revelation, Hinata didn't love him as much as he had thought; the feelings that produced could have crashed whole worlds. It had certainly crushed his.

He laughed bitterly as he sat carefully on the head of the Third. Sarutobi had been one of the few people in the entire village that could understand the things Naruto did and the way he felt. Iruka-sensei would be another. Naruto felt his heart warm at the thought of his kind-hearted teacher and he thought that maybe he could go to him. He quickly quashed that impulse, Naruto didn't want to have to explain all this to Iruka before he had even gotten it figured out for himself.

000

The sun was rising on his left and Naruto still had no clue about what he should do. It should have been simple, she had cheated on him, and apparently some time before he had done the same, he should just leave her. He could and should just walk away, no harm no foul right? But he just didn't see himself being able to do it. Naruto still loved her too much to be the one to walk away. Or in this case he might just run away screaming.

He couldn't believe it; fifteen hours ago his life had been fine. He was getting his injuries healed and his wife was pregnant. He was going to be a father. Now he was an adulterer and a cuckold to boot. Naruto smiled in disgust. When had his life gotten so shitty? And what was he going to do about it?

Naruto turned his back on the rising sun and surveyed the land behind the Monument. It would be beautiful with a little house right there. He'd never owned anything like that before. Everything they had now was Hinata's so before long he'd be homeless. If he used Kage Bushin it wouldn't take long to build himself a home, and land so close to the Monument wouldn't be too terribly expensive. He could move up here and never have to deal with all of them again if he didn't want to.

It was an idea worth thinking about. But for now, he had to go back.

000

The room was lit only by sunlight coming through the window and Hinata was right where Naruto had left her last night when he went to take a shower. She looked so pretty curled up in her chair, the sunlight streaming through the window and glowing off of her hair. She looked so innocent. He hated her again.

Not knowing what else to do, Naruto sat down on the edge of the couch to her right. He knew he wouldn't have to wait long; Hinata had always been an early riser while Naruto preferred sleeping till at least noon. It was a habit born from too many late nights on long missions and one he was in no hurry to break.

Looking at her in the early morning light, Naruto tried to see in her the things that had first made him love her. She was one of the kindest people he had ever known, besides Iruka, and after Sasuke leaving him it was what he had needed. Now though, her kindness only served to irritate him. Hinata had loved him unconditionally for so long before he was able to return even the smallest fraction of those feelings and now it seemed as though the tables had been turned on him. She wasn't the innocent little girl she had been at 12, ten years had done a lot to change her and Naruto didn't know if he liked what he saw anymore.

If she didn't wake up soon he would lose his nerve. Even now he could feel his courage dwindling. Naruto heaved a soft sigh and stood up. He headed for what had once been their bedroom and he began to bag up his clothes. In between layers of clothing he placed all the weapons he could find that were his and when the bag was full he carefully laid his one and only picture of Team 7 as they had been in the beginning on top of it all. It was taken when they were a real team. He didn't want to think about what it would look like now. The necklace Tsunade had given him was reverently around his neck and he gave the room one last look for anything of value to him before his eyes landed on the offensive shirt.

Naruto dropped his bag on the floor before picking the ugly brown thing up and looking at it once more. Such a small thing and yet it had changed his world. He walked back over to his bag and grabbed one of the handles before striding out of the room for the last time.

He glanced at Hinata as he set the bag on the end of the couch furthest away from her and carried the shirt over to put on her lap. It was the first thing he wanted her to see when she woke up. Naruto was on his way to the kitchen when he remembered his towels and he made a beeline for the bathroom before he could forget. She could keep his other things but Naruto could never leave the towels Iruka had given him behind. They were more important to him than even the picture of his team.

000

Naruto was still in the bathroom sifting through towels when Hinata woke up. She looked around the room in confusion before her eyes landed on the large brown shirt over her thighs. For the first time since facing Neji in the chuunin exams, the petite brunette began to feel real fear, only this time Naruto wouldn't be rooting for her.

She stood carefully, holding onto the shirt though she tossed the afghan over the back of the couch. It was then that her eyes found his bag sitting on the couch and her fears were confirmed. Naruto was the one who had found it and apparently he didn't want to discuss it.

She went to the kitchen first, trying to find him before she panicked too much. He wasn't there though and Hinata headed to the bedroom before she caught sight of a shadow coming out of the bathroom. She breathed a sigh of relief before remembering why she was looking for him in the first place and then she hesitated.

000

Naruto stiffened as he heard soft footsteps approaching in the hallway but quickly covered it by starting to refold his towels. Maybe, if he ignored her long enough, she would give up and go away. Lady luck had never been on his side though.

"Naruto-kun, when did you get in," Hinata asked, making a courageous attempt at sounding casual. Naruto gritted his teeth at her seemingly unconcerned attitude. "I was waiting up for you. I thought you might be doing something to reopen your newly healed wounds." He flushed a little at the memory of the night before.

"No, Hinata-chan, you do good work and I wasn't doing anything too strenuous," Naruto replied in kind. He'd been trying to figure out what to say to her and now that the moment had come he just wanted to be anywhere but here. He decided to play it cool, act like he didn't know anything about what she had been doing.

"Anou, Hinata-chan, I…there's something I need to tell you. And it's not going to be easy for me to say." He watched as she stiffened and felt a small flush of pleasure, at least she was feeling guilty about it.

"It's about…last night."

00000

Evil FF.N getting rid of my formatting. The chapter is so much prettier with the asterisks and tiltie-thingys than it is with the 0's that don't all always show up… 'le heavy sigh.' Oh well, I don't even want to tell you how long this chapter took me to write…14 separate days… It's really sad and depressing when I think about how little I'm writing again. Evil Sisco getting me into rpging.


	5. Chapter 5

Haha, you know you thought it would never happen.. I've updated!! lol Enjoy.

Too Late Chapter 5  
0-0-0

She was already in bed by the time Sasuke got home and really he wasn't all that surprised. Why would Sakura wait up for him when he was already running so late? He looked down at her, his eyes taking in the way her hair feathered over the pillow and the beginning of a bulge in her stomach even with a thick comforter to make it less obvious. Sasuke knew exactly where to look to find his unborn child.

Sometimes he felt bad for the way he seemed to be using her. She loved him though and he'd given Sakura what she wanted, an Uchiha for a husband, and in return he was getting what he wanted, the revival of his clan. It was almost like a business relationship. He was sorry that that was all he saw in her, especially when she seemed to love him so much.

Sasuke's eyes softened when she grimaced and unconsciously rubbed at her growing stomach. It wasn't supposed to go this way. He was supposed to forget about his feelings for Naruto and have as many children as Sakura could stand. He barely had one and already he was lamenting his choice. Of course, seeing Naruto that day and finding out that the blonde had a child on the way as well had driven home that the past was gone and that they really were moving on.

It wasn't supposed to be this way! There was no way for him to change the past and now the future had been irrevocably changed as well. He was such a fucking screw-up.

Sakura shifted again and Sasuke watched as she curled onto her side. It was her favorite sleeping position of late and he had started liking it too. He slipped out of his shirt and reached for the button to his pants before remembering his dearly departed boxers. Sasuke cursed at Naruto silently before giving up on getting very comfortable. He lifted the cover carefully and crawled into the warm spot behind her. That was something he could definitely appreciate about Sakura, she was always warm beside him.

His hair brushed across her arm as he tried to get comfortable behind her and Sakura shivered.

"Aa, Sasuke, that tickles," she whispered, cracking her right eye open to look at him. He must not have looked very happy because she frowned and turned around in his arms. Sakura shivered as she moved closer to his chilled skin. "Sasuke? You're freezing. Are you okay?"

Her hands were warm with chakra as she passed them over the goosebumps on his chest and arms. "Where have you been?"

Sasuke couldn't bring himself to ruin her life now; he tightened his arms around her carefully and pressed his face into her hair. She giggled when he took a deep breath. He shook his head. "It's nothing. It's just been a long day."

Sakura smiled and nodded before tightening her hold on him a little. She opened her eyes to look at the wall on the other side of the room and a discoloration on the skin of his neck caught her attention. "Sasuke," she asked tiredly, "have you been in a fight? You're bruised."

Sasuke shook his head again and she looked closer at the mark. Realization came to her swiftly and Sakura took a deep breath that was meant to calm her but it only succeeded in convincing her that her conclusion must be true. Sasuke, her husband, smelled like Naruto, who was married to someone else entirely.

Her grip on his body loosened before she pulled away entirely to look into his eyes. Now that she was more awake the expression on his face spoke of guilt. Sakura's jaw clenched and she swallowed heavily before sitting up. She looked at him evenly as he sat up beside her. She watched his movements and noticed that he seemed to be a little stiff, which meant that they had fought some too.

Sakura reached over and hugged him before she thought better of it and when she sat back down she looked him squarely in the eyes. "Is there something you should tell me?"

0-0-0

He tried to be as honest as possible when he finally had the nerve to tell her. Naruto had Hinata sit at the kitchen table while he fixed them something to drink. She stayed quiet while he rummaged around for the stuff to make tea and Naruto realized that this was probably the first time he'd made it for her. She probably thought it was the end of the world.

Naruto filled two cups with the hot liquid and sat one in front of her before taking his own to the seat across from her. He kept it in his hands but didn't bother drinking any of it. Naruto had no idea what he was supposed to tell her. Before, when he didn't know about her and Kiba, he'd planned to tell her how sorry he was and how it wasn't her fault. But now, though he was still sorry and it still wasn't entirely her fault, he didn't feel so much like he should be the one apologizing.

Hinata took a slow sip before directing her gaze at the blonde. "Ah, there was something you wanted to tell me," she began before looking down at the cup in her hands. "About last night?" She sat her cup down on the table and crossed her hands in front of it.

What could he say to her? What could he possibly say to tell her what was happening between them? Something she didn't already know. Maybe he should just start at the beginning.

"Ah, well, Hinata, you remember when we first started hanging out and I told you I'd just gotten out of a serious relationship?" He waited for her to nod and took a deep breath and a sip of his tea before continuing. "Well, I was with…Sasuke." He knew she wouldn't like that but she took it like a Hyuuga.

Her eye's widened, showing even more of the white of her eyes as she digested this information. "But, he's married."

"Yeah, he is now," Naruto replied bitterly.

Hinata didn't know what to say to that. Naruto seemed so hurt by the fact that Sasuke had married someone else. But Naruto had gotten married too. "Ah, how long after you broke up did he ask Sakura to marry him?" She looked at him carefully and didn't miss the way he flinched when she asked her question.

"Six months," Naruto whispered guiltily, suddenly unable to meet her eyes.

"Six months?" She looked down at the table trying to add up the time tables. Sudden realization struck her and her eyes bore into him. Her hands tightened around her cup again and Hinata fought the urge to just throw it at him. If it hadn't been one of her mother's teacups she might have.

Naruto had no idea how to explain this to her. It was complicated.

"Ah, Hinata-chan, I know it's hard to understand, and it probably won't add up like it should." He looked down at the table. How could he tell her that he'd loved her when he'd married her, he'd just loved Sasuke more. He still loved her, it was just a different sort of love and she deserved better than that. Unless you count the fact that she'd been cheating on him and was pregnant with another man's child that she was trying to pass off as his. That still kinda pissed him off.

His eyes found hers again and Naruto started to get angry again. She had cheated for god knows how long and was even pregnant from it and _she_ had the nerve to be upset with _him_.

"It's not mine, is it," he asked, trying to put as much force into the words as he could. It was time for her to do some explaining.

"Of course it…" she began. Naruto's eyes flashed red for a moment and she stopped. "No, it's not."

He shoved away from the table and heard a satisfying crack as his chair hit the counter. Naruto ignored it and started pacing the kitchen. // That settles that, right// He began trying to talk it out with the fox in his head. _It would for me… tear her throat out and rip off his balls_. // I can't do that// _You're right, she's pregnant. Rip off his balls and as soon as she's not pregnant tear out her throat._

Naruto growled and harshly raked a hand through his hair. He paused his walking long enough to glance over at her and then continued a little faster than before.

Hinata just watched him, waiting for him to calm down enough to speak to her again. It didn't take long. That was one of the things she loved about Naruto, he didn't take forever to decide what he was going to do.

Naruto came to a stop by the table and sat across from her again. He focused on his hands as though deciding what he wanted to say to her. Finally, when he was ready, he looked into her eyes again. "Do you love him?" Naruto knew the answer, he really did, but he just had to hear her say it.

"Naruto, I, uh, yes," she finally whispered. Her eyes took on a fine sheen though he knew she wouldn't cry.

"So what are we supposed to do about this," he asked a little gruffly and his eyes flashed red for the briefest second again. "I know what he thinks I should do but it's really none of his business." Naruto stopped as though listening to a voice only he could hear before scratching his head. "He's really not happy about this."

There was really nothing Hinata could say to this. She'd either make him angry enough to kill her or leave her. She didn't know which would be worse. As low as she was in the eyes of her clan now, if Naruto left _her_, she'd be nothing. But if he killed her he'd go to prison and the baby she was carrying would die too.

"I, Naru.." Hinata stopped, her stuttering had chosen now of all times to show up again. She focused on the way his hands rested on the wooden table top, it was like a breath of air had settled there. When had he grown into the man sitting before her now? As much as she had loved him, she should have seen it. How did she miss seeing him become such a good man?

"Hinata," Naruto asked, his voice holding the same caring concern it had held for her for as long as she could remember. She hated him a little for it. Now was not the time for him to remind her of how much he might have once cared for her.

"What do you want out of this, Naruto-kun?" The petite brunette blinked before she realized that those words had come out of her mouth, but now that they had she desperately wanted an answer. "What do _you_ want?"

He looked out a window over her left shoulder in thought. There were so many things he wanted out of his life. A family was at the top of the list, followed closely by being Hokage, which was really a joke now, but so was his family. He'd never really thought about what having a family would actually be like. When he was little all he ever saw were the good moments, hugging and laughter, everything he didn't have. And now, now he knew the tears and the anger that those happy moments had hidden from him. He wanted it to be hidden from him again.

"I don't really know, Hinata. I just don't know." His eyes met hers again for a minute and then he was focusing on something out that window again. "I used to know exactly what I wanted. A family, friends, being Hokage so I'd be recognized by this village, but none of it turned out that way. Sasuke was my friend and he nearly killed me for power that he didn't even need in the end, he was all he needed. Every day I become more and more like this demon in me and there's nothing I can do to stop it anymore, hell I don't even know if I would want to, so Hokage is something I can never be. And a family… Look how badly I've fucked that up."

Now Hinata really did start to cry. Tears escaped her eyes when she blinked. She stood carefully and came around the table to hold him. She cradled his head against her and threaded her fingers gingerly through his long blonde locks, marveling at the contrast between his skin tone and her own.

Naruto looked up when a warm drop landed on his forehead. He brushed another tear off of her cheek. "You know, this really wasn't the way I planned to spend today." He looked down again as she continued brushing her fingers through his hair. He used to love going to sleep while she did that. "What are we going to do now, Hinata?"

"Do you," she swallowed and stopped touching his hair. "Do you still love Sasuke? Does he still love you??

"I, yes-no, I think so…" Naruto sighed and gritted his teeth. "I do, Hinata. I really do. And I think he might still love me." He looked up at her again, silently begging for her acceptance.

"Then," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair once again. "I think you should go to him, be with him. If you love each other and will be happy, then don't let anything stop you." Hinata smiled down at him before leaning down to kiss his cheek.

"Be happy, Naruto, you deserve it."

0-0-0

"I didn't mean for you to find out this way, Sakura."

"So it's true then?"

"Yes…"

"Get out!! Get out!!" She pushed him out of the bed and threw a pillow at him. Sasuke stood and left and she followed him yelling hurtful words at his retreating back. "Get out," she sobbed. When she couldn't see him anymore, Sakura dropped to her knees in the bedroom doorway and cried. It was amazing how good he had gotten at making her cry. It didn't even take any real effort on his part anymore.

0-0-0-0

And.. Done!! Not sure if this is the last chapter or if I can do one more with some smexy SasuNaru like Sisco wants. lol I don't know, this has been much more angsty than I oroginally planned, of course it's also four chapters longer than I had intended so...

Review?? Please. I don't get much love for how much people seem to like my writing... Oh well, I like it so at least there's something. lol


	6. Chapter 6 The End

Here it is, the end of Too Late. I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it and I'm looking forward to reading any questions or comments. Oh, and this is totally OOC, incase you have't already noticed and mentally complained about it. lol

Chapter 6  
0-0-0

When Naruto found him he was sitting on top of the Hokage monument. It was probably the first time Naruto had ever seen Sasuke even acknowledge the fact that it was there. He'd never been much of one to stand on ceremony. It was even more surprising for him to be sitting on the Third's head and alternating between gazing in contemplation at the Fourth and then glaring at the Fifth. Apparently he and Tsunade were still butting heads, even after a few years.

Naruto knew there had to be something wrong when Sasuke didn't pay any attention to his approach. That or he didn't give a flying fuck, either was entirely possible.

"So, why are you staring at them," Naruto asked finally, curiosity shining through his words.

"He favors you, you know?" Sasuke glanced over at him in a measuring way before returning to his staring at the Hokages.

Naruto grinned as he looked over the face of the Fourth. "Yeah," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "I've heard that a few times." He looked away again. "It's not usually used in a nice way though," the blond seemed to whisper to himself though Sasuke had heard him.

Sasuke knew an open-ended statement when he heard one. Normally he wouldn't even consider taking the bait. But this was Naruto, the only one who never wanted anything more than his love, it wouldn't hurt to respond.

"I don't see how him being compared to you could be anything but a good thing," he replied, finally allowing Naruto to look into his eyes. Naruto smiled down at him, both flattered at the words and relieved by Sasuke's estimation of him. Everyone wanted him to grow up to be like the Fourth and that didn't look like it would ever happen.

Naruto sat down about a foot from the brunette and took in the other boy's appearance. "So what happened to you," he finally asked. Sasuke looked worse than Naruto could ever remember. Did he not get any sleep?

"I told Sakura," Sasuke whispered, looking out over the village as the sun lowered in the sky. It looked so peaceful from up here, but he knew it was anything but.

"She mad," Naruto questioned, earning him a dark look from the Uchiha.

"What do you think, dobe," Sasuke snorted.

"That bad, huh," Naruto looked faintly impressed.

"Yeah, I have a feeling that castration might be in my near future," Sasuke replied with a small smile.

Naruto laughed out loud and grinned at him. "Tough luck there, bud."

"Yeah, I guess it would be," Sasuke smiled again. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and looked over at Naruto again. "So what about you?"

"My balls are perfectly fine and in no danger of being chopped off," Naruto stuck his tongue out at the other, apparently enjoying Sasuke's misfortune. "What'd you tell her?"

"The truth," Sasuke grunted. "What else?"

"Which truth, yours or mine?"

"Mine."

"Ah, the bitter ending, sob story version, huh," Naruto nodded in understanding as though Sasuke had just said something extremely profound, rather than tell him he'd told someone else the story of the third worst moment of Naruto's life. "How'd she take it," he asked curiously and then bit the inside of his cheek. That damned curiosity was going to get him killed someday.

"Just like I thought she would." Sasuke looked over at the blond with a smug grin. "She kicked me out."

Naruto frowned as he looked over the other man, he didn't seem too bothered by the fact that his wife had just kicked him out of the house. Hell, at least the baby was still his; Naruto couldn't even say that about his own. "What's the matter with you, Sasuke," he asked, worry and a little bit of fear coloring his voice.

"Nothing," Sasuke looked at him in faint surprise. "I just finally figured out that it doesn't matter." He ran a cool palm over Naruto's cheek. "What matters to me now…" He leaned closer. "Is you." Sasuke pressed his lips firmly against Naruto's and kissed him like he hadn't seen him in years. Which in a way was true, they hadn't been together like this in a very long time.

0-0

Grass tickled his skin as Sasuke pushed him down in the meadow in front of their new home. Naruto grinned slyly when he wondered when it would be his turn to top.

How would Sasuke react to… rope?

0-0-0  
It's sad that this is the end. Thanks for sticking with me for so long, I know it was kind of iffy on whether or not I'd post any more. If you liked it let me know. Reviews make me smile more than you'll ever know and they really do encourage me to write faster. Which is kinda surprising. lol Oh well, thanks again. Ja ne, minna!!


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